'ferroelectric' originates from English coinage built from the combining form 'ferro-' (from Latin 'ferrum') meaning 'iron', and 'electric' (from Greek 'ēlektron') meaning 'amber' or 'relating to electricity'.

'ferroelectric' was coined in the early 20th century by analogy with 'ferromagnetic' (itself from Latin 'ferrum' + 'magnetic'); the term adopted the 'ferro-' prefix plus 'electric' to describe materials with electric behavior analogous to ferromagnetism, producing the modern English word 'ferroelectric'.

Initially named by analogy to ferromagnetism (implying an association with 'iron'), the term evolved to mean specifically 'materials with a spontaneous, switchable electric polarization' and does not necessarily imply the presence of iron.